Commercial washers normally comprise a spray chamber or vat containing one or more racks or baskets in which the articles to be cleaned are placed, the articles being cleaned by the action of spray nozzles which are positioned to cause streams of wash and rinse water to impinge upon the articles.
Various types of basket and spray arrangements have been proposed to insure complete cleaning of the articles being washed ranging from stationary racks and spray nozzles to various combinations of fixed and rotatable spray nozzles and/or rotatable or oscillatory baskets or racks. For example, in its simplest form, the washer may comprise one or more stationary racks surrounded by stationary spray nozzles positioned to cause jets of liquid to impinge upon the articles from the top, bottom and sides of the spray chamber. To enhance the cleaning action, the spray nozzles lying above and below the racks may be mounted on rotating arms which enhance the effectiveness of the spraying action and the ability of the jets of water to contact all surfaces of the articles which are stacked in the trays.
The effectiveness of the sprays also can be materially enhanced by utilizing rotating or oscillating baskets or trays which act to move the articles relative to the spray nozzles. While it has been recognized that movable baskets enhance the cleaning and rinsing action of the spray nozzles, moving baskets add materially to the cost of the washer in that a separate source of power must be provided to drive the basket, including a gear train or other drive mechanism for connecting the basket or rack to the power source, which is normally an electric motor. While many potential users recognize the enhanced efficiency of washers utilizing moving baskets, they are unwilling to pay a higher price for the washer and hence are willing to settle for a less expensive unit even though it does not have the cleaning capabilities of the higher priced units.
The present invention materially reduces the cost disparity between washers with movable baskets or trays and those with stationary ones by eliminating the need for a separate source of power and an expensive gear train to drive the basket or rack, the motor and gear train being replaced by a simple hydraulically driven mechanism utilizing the spray water as its source of power.